CYMDEITHAS Yr Iaith has accused Education Minister Jane Davidson of "bringing democracy into disrepute" through her treatment of Welsh village schools.

CYMDEITHAS Yr Iaith has accused Education Minister Jane Davidson of "bringing democracy into disrepute" through her treatment of Welsh village schools.

Cymdeithas says that in deciding the appeals of nine Welsh-medium schools in West Wales since 2000, Ms Davidson has never once found in favour of keeping a school open.

The group raised the issue in its formal objection to the closure of Ysgol Cefnbrynbrain.

All objections to the closure, which would see pupils travelling a greater distance to a new merged school, were due in this week.

"The council's ludicrous proposal is that pupils should leave the village and cross into Powys, passing a large school on the way, then return to Carmarthenshire into another village school," said Cymdeithas spokesman Ffred Ffrancis.

But Ms Davidson hit back, saying that quality of education always came first in her dealings with school closures.

"Before approving any closure I have to be suitably satisfied that any proposed changes or reorganisation will improve the quality of education offered to the pupils.

"I also need to be satisfied that the local authority has consulted properly with the community."

But Mr Ffrancis added that Carmarthenshire council are also to blame by paying "mere lip service to Assembly guidelines" on the future of village schools.

"This is a vital issue to all of Wales," he added.

"If Jane Davidson can close down a thriving Welsh village school like in Hermon, and allow the council to poke fun at her own guidelines, no village school is safe."

But Rob Blewitt, Carmar- thenshire's head of policy and performance, said the changes were for the best and would bring local education up to scratch.

"We have not got equality at the moment, and we want each child to have the same education and provision."